Reviews for Business and capitalism

The average rating for Business and capitalism based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-07-06 00:00:00 Robert Tidmarsh 3.5/5 The key to reading this book (if, God forbid, like me you have nothing better to do with your life) is in understanding that it is in no way groundbreaking in its dissection and study of a Philippine commercial sector. It's a good starting point if, like me, you don't yet have a solid background in political science and/or are trying to break free of an insulated, Sheryl Sandberg/Simon Sinek-esque "yankee accountability" bubble. Lean in, this is not. Hutchcroft in no uncertain terms identifies basic underlying problems hampering the growth of local industry: arbitrary state enforcement of convoluted industry regulations, cronyism, oligarchs with vast strongholds over protected industries and tranches upon tranches of natural resources. What saddens the casual reader is how much of this book, despite the number of conglomerate names and public officials having lapsed into obscurity, still rings foundational today. I do wish the book delved further however, into the narratives of the poor, rather than just the narratives of those in power. The lack of savings, and the lack of access to adequate opportunities for capital investment, land reform, social mobility, etc. are but theoretical guideposts the author passes on the way to more gossip and face-palming and handwringing over the PH banking sector's lack of collective public vision. Why not shine light instead on the public's desires and struggles, prod and frame the pillaging in contrast with their hardship and divorce from the apparatus, and conclude by championing their struggle for access? Shelved for posterity's sake, and to remind myself of the need to read up more on the root causes behind local/third world wealth distribution and inequality.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-11-10 00:00:00 Bryon Collier Surprisingly disappointing, and I say this as someone who agrees with virtually everything Parenti says in this book. The most frustrating aspect of his writing is how infrequently he uses citations. He makes a number of great points about both Communism and Capitalism (though the latter are mostly truisms any Marxist knows), but he rarely gives one access to further reading. A good polemic, but a bit outdated and definitely too schematic. I would recommend individual chapters (his early ones on the fall of Communism are the best), but not the book as a whole. Maybe though my critique has to do with the fact that much of what he states is obvious to me, so maybe that's my problem, but his writing definitely suffers from a number of oversimplifications which would make it easy for any Liberal to dismiss his arguments in a second.